I was at an event recently where someone I know professionally started revealing things about himself I just didn't want to know. I was trapped and couldn't get away, so I was forced to listen as the secrets became more and more distasteful. Okay, there was alcohol involved, so I forgive him about 2%. The other 98% involved conversation about how unhappy he was in his marriage, how hot he thought so-and-so was, what he'd like to do to so-and-so - well, you get the picture. It isn't like I am even friends with this guy, this stuff just kept spilling out.
I realize that what I was listening to wasn't merely a drunken rant, it was the removal of a mask. We all have our masks and ultimately we take them off at some point. When we choose to take them off can often be the source of great pain and embarrassment - think Mel Gibson. But when we take off our masks is only half the problem. If the mask is so different from what is underneath, it makes us unappealing not just to others, but to ourselves.
While I was not happy about being talked at by my drunk associate, it was a good reminder to make myself look as much like my mask as possible. It was a remind to be consistent in thought and deed so that when I take off my mask, I'm not shocked by what is revealed. At the very least it was a reminder to keep my mouth shut when I'm drunk.
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